Twenty Who Are Making a Difference

by admin | December 1, 2008

As we have in years past, HEALTHCARE DESIGN has decided to put a bow on the year that was by asking recognized architects, interior designers, and consultants in the field to nominate their peers whom they thought had made a significant difference in advancing the design of healthcare facilities. We invited them to name “stars” from their own companies, as well as from other companies who, despite possibly working for competitors, deserved this recognition. The next several pages will introduce you to 20 of these special professionals.

John Balzer, MSEM

Vice-President Facility Planning and Development

Froedtert & Community Health Systems

Ph: 414.805.2649

In his 28 years with Froedtert and Community Health, John Balzer has been promoting the theme of “logical, not lavish” in all facility development initiatives. This approach has allowed the system to get the most value from every construction dollar. All facility development projects that Mr. Balzer oversees are based on key strategic facility initiatives: flexibility, customer service goals, positive work environment for staff, operational efficiencies, and capacity/growth accommodation all within a reasonable schedule and budget. Through his efforts, Froedtert had enough extra money for their new Clinical Cancer Center that they were able to add an additional floor.

Dina Battisto, PhD

Associate Professor, Architecture + Health

Clemson University

Ph: 864.656.3897

Dina Battisto is one of the most dedicated professionals in the field of healthcare design. She not only talks about making healthcare facilities better environments for patients and staff, but she has devoted her career to making it happen. She literally works day and night coming up with new models of design that may improve the way healthcare is delivered. She doesn't stop there, though. She takes these ideas into the research setting to ensure that they are fully tested and can be truly considered, evidence-based designs. In her role as professor and researcher at Clemson University, she has proven that she can create bridges and working relationships between other disciplines and industry partners. She is truly making a difference in this field by training future architects and instilling in them the importance of research in healthcare architecture.

Nominated by: Salley Whitman, NXT, Inc.

Neil A. Halpern MD

Chief of Critical Care

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Ph: 212.639.6731

Neil A Halpern, MD, chief of critical care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City, has been deeply involved in the design and construction of three pioneering ICUs. Working closely with healthcare architects, interior designers, nurses, hospital administrators, facilities planners, and others, he was responsible for the creation of a state-of-the-art, 20-bed ICU at MSKCC. This unit is not only equipped with the latest technology, wireless and Web-based communication and monitoring systems, and E-Glass for patient privacy, but also provides a soothing and healing environment for patients, families, and staff. Dr. Halpern has always had a special interest in the implementation of new technologies and, as an early advocate of wireless communication in critical care, he pioneered its application in the early 1990s.

Nominated by: Paul Whitson, daSilva Architects pc

D. Kirk Hamilton, FAIA, FACHA

Associate Professor of Architecture

Texas A&M University, College of Architecture

Ph: 979.845.1222

Kirk Hamilton is making a notable difference in the profession of health facility design in several significant ways. He has elevated the significance of evidence-based design to a baseline requirement for healthcare architecture today. He has underscored the importance of integrating healthcare operations and culture with facility design. He cofounded the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA), the first organization to board certify a specialty within architecture.

Nominated by: Annie Coull, Anshen + Allen

Adele Houghton

Project Manager, Green Guide for Health Care

Practice Greenhealth

Ph: 713.201.7592

Adele Houghton's leadership on the Green Guide for Health Care took the “greening healthcare” landscape and broke it down into digestible credits so greening can be continuously improved over time. The self-certifying toolkit leads hospitals through a step-by-step approach to continuous environmental quality improvement initiatives.

Nominated by: Janet Brown, Practice Greenhealth

Tim Jones

Construction Executive

Mortenson Construction

Ph: 262.879.2500

As a construction executive for Mortenson Construction, Tim Jones is a leader who helps make innovative healthcare design solutions a reality. As “a checks and balances guy who keeps the customer happy by meeting tight schedules and budget expectations,” Tim has been involved with over $900 million in healthcare construction projects throughout the country. Prior to his current role, Tim served as chief estimator and completed more than $5 billion of construction bids including healthcare projects in Alaska and Los Angeles. Healthcare clients want to work with Mortenson Construction because they trust Tim. They value the level of expertise and leadership he brings to each of his projects.

Nominated by: Mark Sherry, Mortenson Construction

Thomas M. Jung, AIA

Director, Bureau of Architectural & Engineering Facility Planning

New York State Department of Health

Ph: 518.402.0967

Tom Jung has devoted his 25-year career to the common sense, appropriate, and reasoned development and implementation of healthcare codes. He has consistently integrated meaningful information from the field into development of new guidelines and regulations. Tom directs the planning, architectural design, and construction components of New York State's Certificate of Need Program. Tom chairs the Construction Standards Advisory Group (CSAG), an ad hoc group of more than 80 volunteers from the design, construction, and administrative fields of the New York State healthcare industry which reviews and updates state healthcare construction regulations.

Nominated by: Stanley Tang, Poltronieri Tang & Associates

Richard L. Kobus, FAIA, FACHA

Senior Principal

Tsoi/Kobus & Associates

Ph: 617.475.4223

A national leader in healthcare design and planning, Rick Kobus, FAIA, FACHA, creates collaborative medical and research environments that enhance the quality of care and promote scientific discovery that advance their strategic goals and missions. He is an expert in helping clients maximize resources by rightsizing to achieve solutions. Leading academic medical centers throughout the United States—including Brigham and Women's Hospital, University of Chicago Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, and University of Pennsylvania Health System—have embraced his award-winning, innovative models of patient-focused care, evidence-based design, and translational medicine to transform their organizations, improve outcomes, and integrate their clinical, educational, and research enterprises.

Jean Mah

Principal

Perkins+Will

Ph: 213.270.8400

Jean Mah leads the healthcare practice of Perkins+Will and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Architects. She is recognized as a national expert in the design of complex, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities. Her most recent projects are the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, the new Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and the hospital expansion for Oregon Health & Science University. These are some of the largest and most complex healthcare projects in the world today. Jean's projects have received AIA/Modern Healthcare Design Awards, and have been published in a number of professional journals.

Nominated by: Virender Ahuja, Kurt Salmon Associates

Catherine Mahan

Principal

Mahan-Rykiel & Associates

Ph: 410.235.6001

Catherine Mahan has initiated a postoccupancy evaluation program of garden sites designed for nursing homes, extended-care facilities, and Alzheimer's facilities to provide important data to underpin evidence-based design. These evaluations help designers develop performance standards that will ultimately make their work more effective for targeted patient audiences.

Her design firm has begun to move the “art” of therapeutic site design to the “science” of therapeutic site design. This has been done at the firm's expense as a means of improving gardens for memory-impaired patient populations. As the principal in the firm, she has provided the impetus for this type of research as a legitimate part of the firm's practice.

Catherine shares her findings unselfishly with other designers in an effort to promote sound design practices for the patients' benefit.

Nominated by: Dr. Joanne M. Westphal, Michigan State University

Christine Malcolm

Sr. Vice-President, National Facilities & Hospital

Strategy

Kaiser Permanente

Ph: 510.625.7088

Christine Malcolm directs Kaiser Permanente's real estate portfolio, facility operations, and the design and construction of Kaiser Permanente medical facilities. She guides a $36 billion capital development and seismic replacement program, the largest hospital construction program in the nation. Christine has embedded environmental stewardship into Kaiser Permanente business plans for facilities services, capital projects, and procurement. She is establishing model-hospital and MOB designs that improve the total life cycle, cost-of-ownership performance of Kaiser Permanente buildings. Her sustainable development goals include achieving EnergyStar ratings for hospitals and reducing facility carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions through cost-effective strategies.

Nominated by: Mia Medcalf, Kaiser Permanente

Greg C. Mare, AIA

Principal

Anshen + Allen

Ph: 614.460.4300

Greg Mare has had a career in healthcare design that has always been about making a difference. He is a strong proponent of evidence-based design and leads his design teams toward outcome-based solutions. With many successful projects under his belt, Greg has been most visible for his leadership of the evidence-based Pebble Project, the Dublin Methodist Hospital, which has been innovative at so many outcome-based levels. Greg, with Cheryl Herbert, has been forthright in sharing. Architects, designers, and hospital administrators will learn to innovate and make a difference because of his sharing.

Nominated by: Rosalyn Cama, CAMA Incorporated

Carolyn Pfude

Director, Transition Planning & Management

Gilbane Building Company

Ph: 301.343.3667

Led by Carolyn Pfude, Gilbane's Transition Planning & Management (TPM) group is helping hospitals nationwide to activate their newly constructed or renovated facilities and plan for the transition of patient care operations. In an industry looking for ways to focus on patients, families, and staff, TPM ensures the critical questions are asked during the design process; transition-related issues are resolved through an integrated workgroup process; and a plan is implemented to keep the patients safe and the project on schedule and budget.

Consulting to hospitals nationwide, Pfude's TPM team acts as an objective liaison between the design/construction and operational planning teams to make sure every detail is covered, saving hospitals time and money.

Nominated by: Kristy dosReis, Gilbane Building Company

Dr. Louis J. Prues

Vice-President, Planning & Strategy

Luther Social Services of Michigan

Ph: 313.823.7700

As an owner's rep on several complex CCRC and health facility projects over $20 million, Dr. Prues has proven to be an invaluable asset to the design team and end users alike. His ability to provide clear direction, overall vision, and significant input on the smallest of details in all aspects of design (civil, architectural, interiors, mech/elec, etc.) has truly allowed Luther Social Services of Michigan (LSSM) to provide a unique, highly desirable environment for its patients/residents allowing LSSM to lead the pack in its market.

Nominated by: Michael D. Novakoski, LEEP AP, Elzinga & Volkers, Inc.

Bill Rostenberg, FAIA, FACHA

Principal, Director of Research

Anshen+Allen

Ph: 415.882.9500

Bill Rostenberg, FAIA, FACHA, internationally recognized author, educator, and innovator, is considered by many to be our profession's authority on technology-driven health facility design. His accomplishments include: 100+ professional presentations; 100+ articles/books (including industry standard, “The Architecture of Medical Imaging,”); being an instructor at Harvard, Clemson, and Cornell; pioneering evidence-based design; being a member of the editorial board of the HERD Journal; the only AIA/STERIS Fellowship recipient to have his research published as a best-selling book; developed AAH national educational conferences for two decades and disseminated his unique knowledge throughout architectural profession; and is an industry liaison of the AIA/AAH and RSNA, ACS, SIIM, AORN.

Nominated by: Annie Coull, Anshen + Allen

Deborah A. Sheehan, ACHE, LEED AP

National Director of Healthcare

OWP/P

Ph: 312.960.8078

As National Director of Healthcare, Deborah is responsible for managing some of OWP/P's most significant healthcare clients—the combined worth of their projects is more than one billion dollars (construction). Admired for her natural leadership and direct approach, Deborah is a powerhouse of strategic knowledge when it comes to understanding the healthcare industry and how facility planning and design can improve overall performance. Her vast experience managing complex projects and evidence-based design approach are sought by hospitals and systems throughout the country. An industry leader, Deborah has presented for organizations like Sg2, ASHE, and The Strategic Research Institute, among others.

Nominated by: Rosalyn Ryan, OWP/P

Joe Sprague, FAIA, FACHA

Principal and Director of Health Facilities

HKS, Inc.

Ph: 214.969.5599

Joe Sprague, FAIA, FACHA, a principal and director of health facilities at HKS, Inc., has spent his entire 36-year career devoted to the practice of healthcare architecture. He has influenced change and reform through his continued involvement with the Facility Guidelines Institute, as well as participation on other meaningful healthcare organizations.

In addition to being cofounder—in 1998—and current president of the Facility Guidelines Institute, Sprague is a former president of the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In 2008, he was elected president-elect of the ACHA Board of Regents.

Nominated by: Dan Noble, FAIA, FACHA

Dr. Virginia Susman, MD

Assoc. Medical Dir., Assoc. Prof. of Psychiatry

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Ph: 914.997.5724

In her role as the Associate Medical Director of the New York Presbyterian Hospital's Westchester Division, Virginia L. Susman, MD, is committed to exploring the interface between design and therapeutics in contemporary psychiatric facilities. She has studied the historic role of traditional asylums and has made presentations at national conferences on the importance of therapeutic design as a vital element in healing. Dr. Susman has been a faculty member of the Weill Cornell Medical College since 1981. Currently, she is working with architectural consultants on a new master plan for the hospital, a landmarked psychiatric facility formerly known as the Bloomingdale Asylum.

Nominated by: Jaques Black, daSilva Architects pc

Terri Zborowsky

Director of Healthcare Education and Research

Ellerbe Becket

Ph: 612.376.1996

Terri Zborowky is adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota, teaching healthcare design. Her passion, dedication, conviction, and commitment to improving healthcare design cannot be over emphasized. She is collaborating with others and conducting research to support evidence-based design, which is so needed in this industry to justify the positive impact design delivers to the healthcare industry. Terri's involvement in healthcare research substantiates what designers do to make a difference in the lives of patients and caregivers alike. Terri is one of the true leaders in this field and is creating the model for others to follow. Terri's initial exposure to healthcare, being a nurse herself, has set the stage for her to truly understand the issues, challenges, opportunities and more importantly the solutions that are needed in this tumultuous industry of change and renovation. Her customers have benefited dearly by her expertise and sincere caring demeanor.

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